Troy Clawson, Youngsville councilman, has an interesting idea to boost volunteer ambulance responses.

Clawson suggests the borough set aside money and pay the Youngsville Volunteer Fire Department $150 for each call it responds to in the borough limits. The money would then be distributed in some way to those responding to EMS calls.

Clawson called it a way to “navigate the animosity from volunteers” and “something we need to start moving forward.”

“If you look at the numbers, we’re not looking at a lot of money,” he said, calling the idea an effort at “trying to find a way to help them get to those calls.”

It’s an interesting idea that makes as much sense as the proposals being discussed at the state level.

It’s possible that the money makes it more worth a volunteer firefighter’s time to leave work or their family to be part of an EMS response inside the borough. Paying for responses could help boost recruitment and retention within the Youngsville Volunteer Fire Department – and doing so would buck a decades-long trend of fewer and fewer volunteer firefighters.

On the flip side, it’s possible an incentive to respond to EMS calls within the borough of Youngsville hurts the number of volunteers who want to respond to mutual aid calls or other emergencies that aren’t inside the borough limits. It’s also possible creating a payment system that is affordable now balloons in the future. Firefighters are only human; a $150 payment now could lead to a request for higher payment levels in the future. Starting a payment system now could backfire if it is eventually taken away – creating a rift between the council and the volunteer firefighters.

Clawson’s proposal is certainly worth discussion – but we’d suggest involving the volunteers before a final decision is made.